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Omniscient Beings
७९९
absolute merger in) the Saguna Brahma and that such a liberated Soul comes to be possessed of the qualities of the Lord, including Omniscience.
It seems to us, however, that the Omniscience thus attributed to the liberated Soul by the dualistic schools of the Vedanta, is not of the same nature or extent with the Omniscience, attributed to the Isvara by the Nyaya, the Vaisēṣika, the theistic Sankhya, the Yoga and the Vedanta. The Omniscience of the latter is eternal, unfittered and all- embracing. It is, however, the very nature of the Jiva to have but a limited range of apprehension and this limited capacity of the Jiva is not radically changed, even when it attains liberation. Accordingly, it would probably not be correct to say that all the cosmic things and phenomena of all times and places, beginningless and endless, are ever present in the Omniscience of the liberated Jiva, as 'now' and here', simultaneously. Even when a Soul associates itself with the Lord, in its emancipated state, its powers are still limited, in comparision with the powers of the latter. A liberated Soul, for instance, has no power to interfere in or modify the 'Jagat-vyāpāra 'i. e., the creation of the world,-which is the sole prerogative of the Isvara. It is true that a liberated Soul comes to be possessed of many supernatural powers; it can go anywhere it likes,
"Sarvēsu lõkeṣu Kama-çãro Bhavati --Chandogya Upanisat. 7.25 2.
But from the word, 'Kama', it is manifest that this power of unrestricted movement is dependent upon his desire'. Similarly, it is not true that all the things and the phenomena of the world, past, present, future, subtle, near, distant etc. are simultaneously and actually and always present in the consciousness of the emancipated Jiva. Its supernatural attainment consists in the fact that unlike a Sonl in Bondage, it can know them, whenever it likes. Let us explain the position by an example. It is not a fact that his ancestors are always present before a liberated being or in his mind. Whenever he wants to see them, they appear before him at once.
"Sa yada pitr-lōka-Kamō Bhavati, Samkalpādēvasya pitarah samuttisthanti.'
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-Chandōgya-upanisat. 8. 2. 1,
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